Billy Sweatt came back for his senior year for his degree and with hopes of having a breakout hockey season. His three goals in Saturday’s 4-2 exhibition win over the University of Calgary at World Arena certainly bode well for that.

But since this was an exhibition game, forgive Sweatt if he wasn’t too excited about it.

“You never try to get too high,” Sweatt said. “The real season hasn’t even started yet. Individual statistics aside, it was more important that we work hard as a team. We never quit.”

The senior left wing created his second goal, which tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period, with his speed while the first one was a result of his knack for being around the puck Saturday. His third was an empty-netter with 48 seconds remaining before 4,356 cheering fans.

“It was nice when Billy can step up and give us a lift,” coach Scott Owens said. “Hopefully others can step up too. I really like how we competed in the third period.”

Sophomore left wing David Civitarese scored the game-winner off a good pass from junior right wing Tyler Johnson from behind the Dinos’ net. Civitarese’s one-timer came with 10:34 left in the third. His contribution was another welcome sign for CC fans.

“We’re going to need several guys scoring 8-10 goals this year,” Owens said,

Sweatt’s second goal was a pretty one. He skated into the Calgary zone through the right circle, then cut across ice behind the Calgary defender and in front of Calgary goalie Jeff Weber. Sweatt beat Weber with a backhander as he was knocked to the ice by the Dinos blue-liner.

In the first period, Sweatt tied the game at 1 when his own rebound ended up out front of the Calgary net with 18.4 seconds left in the first period.

Sweatt, the team’s top returning scorer, had fired a shot from the right circle and then skated across the front of the net where the loose puck ended up. Sweatt then fired low inside the left post through traffic for the tally.

Sweatt’s goal, assisted by Gabe Guentzel and Nate Prosser, came less than two minutes after Calgary’s Brock Nixon corralled a Tiger turnover near the Dinos’ blue line and skated in on a breakaway. His shot beat CC junior Tyler O’Brien, who had made seven saves up to that point.

In the second period, Nixon scored his second goal of the game on a quick wrist shot immediately after Dinos center Teegan Moore won a faceoff in the CC zone with 11:15 remaining. The one-timer through traffic surprised Tigers freshman goalie Hudson Stremmel, who played the second period and made five saves. Nixon corralled a turnover near his own blue line and skated in to beat junior Tyler O’Brien on a breakaway in the first period. O’Brien made seven saves.

Tigers freshman Joe Howe played a shutout 20 minutes in the third period, turning away eight shots.

There was no clear winner in the goalie derby with all three making at least one big save to keep the game close.

“We’ll probably play a couple this week,” Owens said referring to the season and home-opening series Oct. 9 and 10 against Northeastern. 

NOTES

A live online chat moderated by The Gazette and featuring coach Scott Owens is planned for noon Wednesday at gazette.com. Check out the web site this week for details. … The three stars of the game were Sweatt, Civitarese and Howe. … Sophomore defenseman Arthur Bidwell, freshman forward Scott Winkler (illness), senior wing Addison DeBoer and sophomore left wing Tim Hall did not dress to play in Saturday’s exhibition game.